Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Chevron (formerly Caltex) announced that it will increase oil prices effective Wednesday. At 12:01 a.m., Chevron will raise the cost of its regular and E10 gasoline by P1 per liter and diesel and kerosene by P0.75 per liter, said communications manager Toby Nebrida.

The same price adjustments were implemented Tuesday by Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp., and Total.

Oil prices slipped to near $49 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as traders looked to US bank results this week for signs a severe recession may have bottomed but remained pessimistic that demand for crude can recover in the near term.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is asking government agencies to explain the discrepancy in the prices of diesel from the same oil companies even if the gasoline stations are located only a few meters apart.

With two Lapu-Lapu City residents dead due to food poisoning by eating sea hare, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources yesterday advised the public to refrain from eating the marine gastropod mollusk commonly known as "donsol". BFAR-7 Assistant Director Allan Poquita said sea hares naturally possess toxic substances contained in the blue ink it secretes to drive away enemies. These substances are reportedly found on its skin.

The toxin may be tolerable to humans, Poquita said, but there reportedly are certain times when its toxicity level becomes high, which makes those with weak resistance vulnerable to its effects.

Poquita said this might have been the case of Abunjo Gulbe, 53, and Nerigen Rumbo, 10, who died the other day at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. The two, together with four other members of their family, were rushed to the hospital after suffering severe symptoms of food poisoning just hours after they shared "donsol" for dinner last Black Saturday.

Poquita said the fatalities might not have tolerated the toxin, considering that Gulbe was already of age while Rumbo, being so young, has not yet developed a strong body resistance.

The incident prompted investigation and a series of laboratory tests in Manila and while these are ongoing, Poquita said it would be better if the public would refrain from eating "donsol,"considering that its "absolute edibility" has yet to be proven.

The death of Gulbe and Rumbo was the first incident recorded that is related to poisoning by eating "donsol" but Poquita said the advise should be heeded seriously.

Likewise, aside from the sea hare themselves, Poquita said the public must also be cautious in eating the so-called "lukot", which are actually sea hare eggs. She said these secretions can also be toxic, especially when they are sprayed with the sea hare's defensive ink.

Meanwhile, BFAR clarified that there is no red tide occurrence in the coastal area barangay Soong in Lapu-Lapu City where the victims reside.

LEAVE. Otherwise, stay at your own risk. This was the warning that Department of Health (DOH) 7 Director Susana Madarieta issued yesterday to residents near the Inayawan sanitary landfill who were earlier asked to evacuate the area.

WITH smoke slowly clearing at the Inayawan landfill, the Cebu City Council is set to declare the facility under a state of calamity today to release funds for aid to affected residents and for the purchase of materials to address the problem.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is trying to manipulate the military by choosing a chief of staff who only has nine months to serve in the post, Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo said on Tuesday.

The 1999 scandal that rocked Best World [BW] Resources Corp. may have something to do with the killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer in November 2000, according to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

The ethics committtee in the Senate has found the case against former Senate President Manny Villar over a controversial road project sufficient in form and substance, according to documents signed by four members of the panel.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made at least 12 foreign trips when the financial crisis swept the world during the last quarter of 2008. Four of these trips were to Middle Eastern nations while two were to the United States.

The United Opposition [UNO] claims that Mrs. Arroyo might be frequenting Dubai and the US to protect her personal finances. The First Family purportedly lost some $500 million in investments from several collapsed financial firms in the US.

The President arrived from Dubai on Tuesday, April 14, but the UNO said Mrs. Arroyo might have clandestinely visited the Middle Eastern financial hub on January 31, 2009.

Malacañang claimed Mrs. Arroyo's last trip to Dubai was from January 27 to 28, 2008 before proceeding to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum that year.

TAXPAYERS REQUIRED to file their returns online may have to endure long queues today as the Bureau of Internal Revenue's (BIR) electronic filing and payment system (eFPS) bogged down yesterday due to an increased number of users.

Brian Viloria has had enough of Ulises Solis" nagging habit of beating Filipinos. Viloria vowed to put an end to the Mexican"s killing ways against Pinoy foes and at the same time get a crown for himself when they mix it up on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia made good her threat to sue the persons responsible for staging a bikini show in Bantayan Island during the Lenten weekend. She filed yesterday a criminal complaint before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor against event organizer Elton Tio and Rommel Solomon, owner of the resort where the show was staged, for what she described as a "shockingly indecent, vulgar and obscene" show. Tio said he had footage of the entire show, which lasted around 30 to 45 minutes. He added that he plans to speak with Governor Garcia and show her the footage of the entire show.

He admitted that some partygoers may have climbed onstage after the show but he assured that his staff kept on calling their attention and asking them to move.